Baltic Birch Japanese Tatami Bed.

When our daughters got older, we had to build a king-sized custom bed. Most beds we saw were too “platform” like, which sat too close to the floor. So we decided to make ours about 12.5” high to allow for extra storage beneath. If you don’t want the storage, make the legs shorter!

We used Japanese woodworking techniques and style but incorporated the fine lines of modern baltic birch plywood. Once laminated, there was no need for metal hardware. We didn’t include a headboard because the kids used our old one as an artificial diving platform. You can easily make one by modifying the head rail. We also chamfered the edges to make sure they couldn’t hurt themselves on the piece. For the inner supports, we used through dowels and the corners squared itself by half-lap combinations. Finally, the platform at the foot of the bed acts as a base for the kids to climb onto the bed itself.

We don’t have a working woodshop at the time, so most of these pieces had to be rushed from one friend to another, in order to use their tools. Even with this inconvenience, most of the hard half-lap cuts were made using a Japanese saw. They are great for fine and accurate cuts. Overall, we’re really quite pleased with the results, the amount of sleep we get each night, and the ample storage we now have.